Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's president-elect, has steered the island toward democracy and away from China

Taiwan's president-elect, Lai Ching-te, vows to safeguard the island's independence from China and align with democracies. He aims to strengthen Taiwan's defense and economy, while softening his stance on independence. Lai desires to restart dialogue with China, despite low chances of success. China is likely to resort to a 'maximum pressure campaign'.